St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-03-28
THE ST. CROIX RANGE
An Insight Into the Great Expectations
in Iron Development in Western
Wisconsin.
The Work to Be Done This Summer to
Show Up the Value Of the Re-
gion's Ore.
A Long List of the Companies That
Have Been Formed at Eau Claire
and Elsewhere.
An Interview With Col. La Pointe
the Pioneer Prospector of the
Range.
Special to the Globe.

EAU CLAIRE, March 27.-The ''St.
Croix iron range" boom is the offspring of
the Gogebic in more than one sense. ami.
while its birth may or may not have been
somewhat premature, it has certainly not
been still born. but is a noisy and vigorous
infant for child of two months growth.
Its history is interesting and its future
may be of the greatest Importance as an i'll
dustral factor. For two or three years
Col. George w. La Pointe. of Wilson. st.
CroiX county, well known in this part OF
the state, had been prospecting in the
region know now as the st. Croix range.
His discoveries conceded with the geological
surveys indicating iron. Two years or
more ago j. l.. Turner, of Knapp. while
digging for yellow ochre FOR Eau Claire
| paint mills. struck iron ON sections SO and
l, between Knapp and Wilson. Be
| tween that time and last November,
more or less prospecting had been
| going on in this region, and there were oc-
| casional spurts of mild excitement over re-
ported discoveries of iron ore. No general
attention was attracted to the range"
however, until the opening of the past wilt
ter. Early in the winter the Eau Claire
Mining company (nOw the Escnlapian)
bought options from the Messrs. Turner, of
| hlldpp Oil thirty ACRES Ill lile UOIIU6dSI OI
the northeast of section l and began
| PROSPECTING FOR IRON.
More general attention was gradually
attracted to the region. and five or six
weeks ago the central part of northwestern
Wisconsin suddenly became wildly agtated
over the repeated reports of rich discover
| les of iron in the eastern part of st. CroiX
| county. This agitation continued to in
| crease for three or four weeks. and the in
habtants Of the Red Cedar, Chippewa and
lower st. Croix valleys talked little but iron.
! The rush to the eastern part of st. Crox
county from Eau Claire and Hudson and
the towns between was very great for a
time, prospectOrs and spectators spreading
the fever rapidly. The extreme intensity
of the excitement has now somewhat
abated, but prospecting and specializing
and the formation of new companies. based
on options. with stocks to sell and every
thing to hope. for, is going right OH. There
has been some stir as far north as Rice
Lake, Barron county. Some finds have
been reported along the line Of the Wiscon-
sin Central, near Downing. Thus far the
''St. CroiX iron range boom has been al
most wholly of a speculative nature, and a
good deal of money has been made by
shrewd men in various ways. What SUBJ
stantial industrial developments the future
holds in store remains to be seen. Some
careful men interested on the Grange" seem
inclined to think that if it ever amounts to
anything it will only be in the production
of manganese, and do not look for
GREAT DEVELOPMENTS
| of iron ore. In a word there is a good
deal Of doubt in their minds about the iron,
and not much doubt about the manganese.
As result of this Iron range" excitement,
during the past month or two, about IS.
900 acres of land, nearly all in ST. CrOiX
county, have been covered by purchase
leases and options. by the companies and
individuals specializing in land supposed to
contain valuable deposits. OF this area
about thirds, probably, is embraced by
options. The bulk of the transactions has
been based on options. which have been
changing hands from one to another. Only
about So, 900, probably, though SOlne claim
$4,000 or SC. 600, has been spent in actual
development" The time has been so short
that it is perhaps unfair to press a state.
ment of the fact that little or nothing
has been done to develop the wealth
which 'this range is supposed to bear.
The area of present and immediately pros
pective operations is confined to eastern
st. CroiX and the extreme western portion
of Dunn county. Probably $50 men are
prospecting on the range" in the employ
of companies and spectators. The theory
has been advanced by some of the most
sanguine that the st. CroiX is continual
ton of the northern ranges and that it ex-
tends southwest through Ashland, Sawyer,
Barron, st. CroiX and Dunn counties, max
ing
AN IRON BELT
twelve or fifteen miles wide. and that the
} finds made in st. CroiX county have only
tapped the southwestern end of great
iron region equal In wealth to the Gogebic.
In the area of present operations. the farth-
est point east at which iron has been struck
is near the western line of Dunn county and
the western limit. as far as
prospected, is the western ex-
tremty of range Is west of the
fourth principal meridian, point near tho
centre OF st. CroX county. AS far as
known. however there are no veins of iron
on what is called the st. Croix range. The
iron deposits are in beds, and the ore is al
WAYS found mixed with manganese. AL
the ore is soft. some of it being claimed tC
be red and some brown hematite. The re
ports of the proSpectors say that the mixed
ore is usually found at depth of about SIX
feet, and that they have never been Obliged
to go deeper than thirty feet to find ore
1t is claimed that no shaft has been sunk
without striking iron ore and manganese Il
J greater OF less extent, and that the bed:
are supposed to be from six to thirty fee
deep. Manganese is said to be found
everywhere in larger or smaller quantities
HE Is SANGUINE.
Hon. Levi NJ. Villas, OF this city, stock
, holder in the st. CroiX Mining company,
: said yesterday that he had given 10 persona
attention to the iron and manganese finds
| II I,0l
and that. while there had been no develop
ment to speak of. such as there had beer
seemed to indicate a better outlook thar
J there was for the Gogebic at the same stag
| of proceedings. No one can yet say" h
said THAT this region will not be an i'm
portant source of iron ore, or at least o
manganese. and there is more reason, from
what | have been informed, to think that i
will be than that it will not be-" 1t il
claimed that five of the companies will shiI
ore the coming season to PittSburg anC
other points, and some preparations are bein!
! made to do so in case developments arr
good. Several of the companies have men
at work prospecting, and there is a goot
deal of activity within a radius of ten o
fifteen miles around the village of Wilson
A new town site called Charleston has beef
: plated, lying between Wilson and Knapp
anu lolS nave Deet put oii Oie HidrkeG VIII
futures" on the strength of the iron boom
THE COMPANIES
which have been organized for operation
on the st. CroiX range have emanated TO
the most part from Eau Claire, and they
embrace many substantial and reliable bust
ness men, who seem to have faith in tn
future of the range"
The Knapp Iron, Land and Mining com
! pany, of Eau Clare, with Sl000,000 capita
t stock, numbers Milwaukee, Chicago and Mad
ison men among its stockholders. It's officer